The Cornerian Spire
by Dawn of Daybreak
Summary: The Cornerian Spire. The life blood of the Lylatian culinary world. If you have a peculiar taste, we will be more than happy to serve your favorite dish any way you please. Tantalizing tastes and textures? All can be found here. Welcome to the Spire.


_Now, I want everyone to know that this story takes place when Fox is about twenty-three years old, which is three years before the events of Star Fox Adventures. Now, as much as I would like to keep some things canon…there are some things in which I prefer over than what Star Fox has become. This story is just for fun, and with my current situation, updates will be…tenuous at best. I would love to tell you more about it, but I prefer to keep it a secret, and everything will be revealed in due time. Here it is, and enjoy. Now, this story is mainly Fox-centric…as most of the stories are…but I will be sure to include other points of view and what-not._

Ignorant Studios Presents

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An Ignorant One Production

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**The Cornerian Spire**

Fox McCloud opened his eyes as R.O.B.'s grainy voice echoed over the Great Fox's intercom system, "We have now entered Cornerian Air-space. All hands are requested on the bridge for identification and a stage-three debriefing. The final debrief will be held planet-side."

The red-furred vulpine sighed and rolled onto his stomach and keyed the comm next to his pillow, "Thanks R.O.B. I'll be up in fifteen minutes." With that said, the young man buried his muzzle back into the warm pillow and sighed, shaking his head from side to side until he decided that he needed to get up. A short heave was all it took to force the fox into a sitting position, and he rubbed the grime from last-night's sleep from his eyes. With a quick glance at the clock, which read _'0947'_ hours in crimson numerals, Fox realized that he had only gotten about five hours of sleep since he and the rest of Star Fox had completed their mission. "Rescuing Corneri-Co's miners from pirates shouldn't be a governmental affair," He grumbled as he got out of bed and snatched his towel and toiletries, opening the door and stepping out into the main hall; shivering slightly as the cool metal greeted his un-protected feet.

Fox took a couple of steps until he stood in front of the shower hall door, and buzzed the com, waiting for a reply as he slung his towel over his shoulder. The shower hall was a room about twelve feet deep, and about ten feet wide, and it served its name sake: as the Great Fox's showers. Every inch of the surface was tiled in a clean white; however, the floors received a Dura-Grip coating to prevent any slips or mishaps that could potentially put any one of the invaluable Star Fox members out of commission. A couple seconds passed and Fox tapped his foot impatiently as he buzzed the shower hall again. Normally it would open when it was inquired, but it wouldn't open if it was occupied, and even then, the four members of Star Fox would bathe with one another without any qualms. Another few seconds passed until he realized the system was programmed to be opened from the inside when there were females present, and he shook his head in annoyance before keying the mic next to the door. "Hello? Whoever is in there needs to get out. I have a debrief, and you're holding me up."

A couple giggles were all the reply he heard before one of what sounded like four voice spoke up, "Who is it? We just got in here a few moments ago. I haven't even gotten any shampoo in my fur."

Fox twitched as he keyed the mic once more, "This is Fox McCloud, Captain of this ship. I have a debrief, and you're holding me up. Give me three minutes to rinse off, and then you can have it back. But you've got to hurry."

"And what if we refuse?" Another one spoke up from the other side, voice daring and assertive; but the vulpine could catch the playfulness in her voice.

"I could have R.O.B. override the system, since I am the ship captain, and I can come in there and force the four of you out in nothing but your towels. I'm sure your male counter-parts would just love the free show." "He smirked slightly at a surprised gasp from one of the women, "Come on. There is a powder bathroom right behind me. A quick transition, a trade if you will. But I refuse to show up smelling like I do right now."

The sounds of the water shutting off could be heard over the speaker as well as muffled speaking, and Fox took a step back and opened the door to the powder bath as the door opened, steam billowing out as four women walking out with white towels wrapped around their slender forms. Two rabbits, a feline, and a husky slowly walked past the vulpine as he felt his jaw slacken. It was very hard for the man not to notice their beauty. _'They didn't look like this when we picked them up.'_ He thought to himself, and it was very true, as all four women were wearing dirty overalls and their fur was caked with grease and grime. The two rabbits giggled as they passed, the feline smiled appreciatively, and the husky whistled lightly, "Our savior has nice taste in boxers."

Fox groaned inwardly as he realized that he was indeed in his boxers, and he stepped into the bathroom. The steam already felt good on his fur as he placed his dry clothes on the rack, and he turned on the spray; stepping into it and thoroughly soaking his fur before he quickly applied the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. He took about a minute to work the cleansing agent into his fur, and was immediately displeased with the results; his fur feeling clean, but a little brittle. The vulpine normally used separate shampoos and conditioners, as it was common knowledge that the two-in-ones rarely worked well; but he really didn't have a whole lot of time to fiddle around with the painstaking odyssey that was cleaning fur. With his final minute spent rinsing his fur clean and standing under Home-tech's thermal drying system, a system which projected beams of light that evaporated excess water, Fox spent his fourth and final minute pulling his pants and boots on, grabbing his shirt, belt, jacket, and gloves; stepping out of the shower hall and walking over the powder bath, knocking on it. "Allright, the Hall is all yours, ladies."

Honed reflexes were all that kept the McCloud from being bowled over by the four women as they quickly ran across the small hall into the Shower hall, "I'm freezing!" One of the lapins exclaimed, followed by a quick "sorry" before the door was shut, leaving Fox standing in the hall by himself. "Geeze. Whats gotten into them?" The vulpine muttered as he tugged on his shirt and jacket, taking care to make sure that his clothes didn't wrinkle as he tucked them into his pants before sliding a belt around his waist. He heard foot steps behind him, and he turned his head around to see Peppy walking briskly to catch up with him.

"You did know that that the powder bath's climate control system is malfunctioning, right? I think it's currently about fifty-something degrees."

Fox winced as he fell in-step with the elder hare, "It was either face exposure to the elements, or face exposure to anyone who just happened to stroll down the hallway." Peppy stated matter-o-factly, "We both know which one they chose."

The Captain nodded as they reached the bridge within a few moments, the heavy blast doors parting for the two pilots of Star Fox. "Captain McCloud is on deck." R.O.B. mechanically proclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, Rusty, we know that foxey is here. He and Peppy are the only other people on board who have permission to be on the bridge." Falco muttered, "And can someone tell me why we haven't gotten Bolts an upgrade? At least a new vocalize would make him sound more…normal." The avian said, "The updates have been around for ages, and since the government it footing the bill, why not have them update R.O.B?"

"Ah-hah! That's a good question, but please, save it for the Budget Committee."

"General Pepper," Fox nodded as the canine officer's image was displayed on the view screen, "It's nice to see you're in good health."

"Ah-hah! You know what they say, 'a lollipop a day keeps the doctor away.'" He chuckled, pulling out a lollipop as he spoke, the sweets used to keep the general's blood sugar in check. "It was just a scare, really. Nothing to worry about, McCloud my boy. However, it is now time for business. How was the mission?"

Fox moved to his command chair and sat down, bringing his right leg to rest on his left knee as he let his cheek rest on his hand, "It was a success. We intercepted the pirates as they were about to transport the miners and the scientists to Fortuna, and we even managed to secure the miner's vessel. Everyone is safe, and none of the crew members came under any harm. All twenty-seven crewmembers have been recovered. We will be arriving in the ship yard in about a half hour, and we will see you for the final debrief, General."

"There were _twenty-eight_ members of that mining crew, Fox McCloud. You seem to be missing one." Pepper stated as he read over Star Fox's after-action report.

"Peppy? If you will." Fox said as he turned to the elder hare.

"Of course." He replied, stepping into the canine's view, "If you read page twenty-two, you will see that one of the crew members was a mole… a corporate pirate. You see, he was leaking information about mineral rich hot-spots to one of Corneri-Co's most ferocious competitors, the Dyno-amics Mining Corporation. However, he wasn't using the most secure of sub-space communications equipment, and his signal was traced to the mining vessel." The rabbit adjusted his glasses as he sat down, "He was released by the time we arrived, and he should have arrived a couple of hours ago. Apparently he had enough petty cash on him to facilitate his immediate release."

"Ah. Interesting. Well, we will just have to finish this up in the briefing room at Head Quarters." The General replied, the canine seeming to be thoroughly enjoying his sucker.

"Has our fee been transferred yet?" Fox asked as he shifted to the edge of his seat, "Better yet, have our repair requests been acknowledged and the docking taken care of?"

"Of course my boy!" The officer gave a hearty laugh, "Corneria owes you a great debt. These repairs are nothing compared to the amount of damages Corneria would have received had you not stopped Andross. See you when you get back. Pepper out."

Fox sighed and closed his eyes, "Even with that payment……"

Falco smiled, "Ho-yeah. With my share, this falcon is going to mingle with the big-shots. What do you guys feel like doing when you get back?"

Slippy looked puzzled, "But we _are _the bigshots."

"Not the point. Have you seen that vixen, Meghan Fox, in her latest film?" Falco inquired, arching an eyebrow, "I'm going to what-ever club she's going to…and maybe even mosey on over to that singer Swift."

Slippy rolled his eyes, "Yah right. I think that I would have a better chance at getting with them than you do. Anyways, I feel like hanging out with my pops. Maybe invent something cool for our Arwings."

"Snooze-fest! What about you gramps?" Falco asked, tossing his head in Peppy's direction as he lounged in his custom made arm-chair; one of the many items bought with his share of the earnings.

"You know me. See my daughter, visit my wife." He chuckled, "And maybe see someone about my knee. It's hard to execute a barrel roll when your leg refuses to bend like it should."

"Wonderfully boring as always." The raptor drawled, rolling his eyes and waggling his fingers in the air. However, he paused, and looked at Fox. "The repairs might take up to four months…just what are you going to do with your time on land, foxey?"

"Money is tight around the Great Fox…and with my personal funds intertwined with the ship…I'm not going to sit around and let three months pass me by." He straightened up and smiled.

"I'm getting myself a well-paying part-time job…" He said, which caused everyone on the bridge sans R.O.B. to perform a double-take, "And I know just the place."

_Allright. Here you go. The first chapter of The Cornerian Spire. Please read and review, and hopefully more chapters will follow. I have how I want this entire thing to play out…now the hard part comes….trying to put it all on paper. Eh, short, but I guess it will have to do. I am not sure when I will post the next chapter though since I have finals the rest of the week…but I think I might get around to something over Christmas break._


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